When David was fleeing from King Saul he went down to live among the Philistines. The king of Gath (Achish) allowed David and his 600 men to settle with them and gave him the town of Ziklag. David lived with the Philistines a year and four months and went on raiding expeditions to support the king of Gath. Having been sent back to Ziklag by Achish, who would not allow him to fight against the Israelites, David found Ziklag burned with fire and all the women and children taken captives by the Amalekites.
There were several possible responses to this bad news. David's men became bitter and wanted to take displaced revenge on David because of this. Of course, we all weep and cry over our losses, but how we respond is the vital element in the outcome. In contrast to this, David's renewed strength was found in the Lord. The first thing he did was call for the priest and made an enquiry of God. In other words he went immediately to prayer.
Facing Facts
When we finished our Board of Trustees meeting for this month, I felt a little down. Not that I would change course or not believe in the things God has spoken to my heart about this coming year, but I needed some encouragement. The next morning I went to the Prayer Tower to seek God about the heaviness in my heart, and ask for more money (yes, you can ask God for money). As I was praying and thanking God for all the great things he has done, I felt the Spirit begin to try to get something through to me. It was the story I just related about David at Ziklag.
I knew the story so well, that I said, "Yes, Lord, I understand. That's why I'm here this morning. I am encouraging myself in you." This impression on my spirit kept on and on all the way through my hour of prayer. I ended my prayer time by praying in the Spirit. As I got ready to leave the Spirit spoke a little louder to get my attention. Since I wouldn't turn to the Scriptures and look for myself, out of his mercy he just told me. The Word of the Lord to David was, "Pursue, overtake, and recover all." Bam! The answer God dropped in my spirit washed all my discouragement away. In a moment, suddenly, I was rejoicing.
Then I did go to the scriptures. I rushed home and read every line of the story from 1st Samuel chapter 30. I wanted the full impact of what the Holy Spirit so graciously spoke to me as I left the tower. There it was. In verse eight.
“And David enquired at the LORD, saying,
Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?
And he answered him, PURSUE: for thou shalt surely OVERTAKE them,
and without fail RECOVER all.”
1st Samuel 30:8
Isn't it amazing that a verse you are so used to suddenly has new life. I have been praying for the sons and daughter of the people of Calvary now for almost a year. They have been taken out of the right path and have become captive to the ways of the world. They are without spiritual fathers and mothers. The Lord has also issued a command in his words of encouragement — PURSUE! This is the great "IF" in all of God's promises. His Word conveys a standard form of promise stating, "if you will do this, then I will do that."
Pursue
God has commanded us to pursue our sons and daughters like never before. We must concentrate our efforts on winning them to the Lord by increasing our prayers for them. We must make the most of every opportunity to witness to them as God opens new doors into their lives. Our love and compassion must be demonstrated to them in real and meaningful ways.
Overtake
We can no longer skirt the issue of our unsaved loved ones. We must look at the situation like David did. The enemy came in and took from us what was ours. If we will pursue, the first thing God promises us is that we will overtake. Our children cannot outrun us if we will live the Word and proclaim the Word before them. We must reestablish lines of communication. We must offer gifts of compassion and appreciation. We must demonstrate the love of God to them. His irresistible grace will draw them to himself.
It seems that I have completely outlined what is going to happen in this coming year, but it all hinges on the word "IF." Yes, revival is coming. Yes, our sons and daughters are returning to the Lord. Yes, our church will grow and the finances will increase. And, yes, the influence of our ministry will expand throughout our community. That is, "IF." If we will pray. If we will witness. If we are faithful in our resources. If!
Recover
The final part of God's promise is that we will recover all. We are not going to just hope for the best or take what we can get. No, we are going to recover all. As we pray we must understand that it is not God's will "that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance." (2nd Peter 3:9)
You might say that in 2013 Calvary is going into recovery mode. To some that might seem like a bad thing, but in light of God's promises, recovering our families from the clutches of the devil is not only a good thing, but a great thing.
There will always be battles to fight, but the two most important things to remember are these: One, you must keep yourself encouraged in the midst of the battle. Two, you must remember the promise of God about your situation and hold onto it until the victory comes. If we can keep these things in mind, then whatever losses we suffer we will recover.